It pleased Kevin that Anne was left speechless like this. This was the first time she had such a look on
her face because of something he said.
His eyes were completely transfixed on her face. The expression she had was so rare and so cute that
it was something he wanted to cherish for as long as possible. Most of the time, she was just cold
towards him. He wanted to make sure that he never forget how lovely she looked right now.
However, his moment of joy was about to come to an end. "Do we really need to get involved with each
other? You know I don't care whether or not you think I have a pleasing attitude," Anne said as she
shook her head.
Since her aloofness towards him had returned, Kevin couldn't help but frown. Usually, they never got
along like this, which was why she became guarded once more and started pushing him away like she
normally did.
Feeling the tension between them, Sam raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I suddenly remembered that I need
to go see a patient of mine for an examination. I'll be on my way now!"
With a smile, he patted Kevin on the shoulder.
The cold words Anne said made Kevin feel embarrassed and hurt. On top of that, he couldn't help but
think that the smile on Sam's face was a form of mockery. If Anne wasn't there, he wouldn't have
hesitated to beat Sam up right there and then.
Noticing his friend's dark look, Sam beamed even wider and walked away.
Meanwhile, tension and awkwardness between Anne and Kevin grew even more.
In her mind, she knew that Kevin must be in a bad mood by now. Despite that, she didn't really care
that much about what he thought. As long as he kept treating her terribly, there was no way she was
going to stop being so distant towards him.
"Is the baby getting better?" After a few moments of silence, Kevin finally spoke up and broke the ice.
Normally, he would've still been in a bad mood until now. However, seeing the look Anne had earlier
made it easier for him to stay a bit more positive. He somewhat thought that she was not as hateful as
she was before after she gave birth to the baby. He used to think that she was a vicious woman who
had done many bad things.
"Yes. The fever's gone, thankfully. We can go home today. Don't worry," she replied.
"Okay. I'll go to talk to Sam and go through the formalities. I have a car waiting for you to take you and
the baby home." His tone with her was incredibly patient, which made her slightly raise her brow in
suspicion.
Warily, he took a step closer to her. However, Anne still couldn't help but feel threatened, and
subconsciously took a step back. Although this irritated him, he took a deep breath and tried to
maintain his cool.
"I just want to hold the baby. I don't even like you,"
he defended as he rolled his eyes. Even though Anne still wasn't all too comfortable around him, she
carefully put the baby in his arms.
As he cradled the soft baby against his chest, warmth flooded his heart. It dawned on him that this child
was really his. Not once in his life had he felt such a connection towards a child. For years, he thought
that he needed to have children only because they could take over his family business one day.
However, as he held the baby in his arms, he suddenly knew what being a father really felt and meant.
Taking a closer look, he saw how much the baby had inherited Anne's eyes. They had the same
stubborn but beautiful look in them. Aside from that, it looked like the baby was an exact carbon copy of
Kevin.
Whenever a parent held their child in their arms for the first time, a special form of love and connection
was formed. It was inevitable.
"You're holding the baby wrong. You might hurt him," Anne reminded gently.
"Oh. I... I'm not sure how to do this." Carefully, Kevin fumbled around, trying to find the perfect way to
carry the child.
"Your hand should hold his neck and head." Since he was such a smart business man, she didn't think
that he wouldn't know something as basic as holding a baby. So, for the sake of the baby's safety, she
patiently tried to explain and teach him.
"You put your one hand here and put the other hand there... You got it?"
Slowly, she moved his hands until the baby rested nicely in his arms. At that time, she had forgotten
about the rift between her and Kevin. It was as if their relationship was finally normal and civil.
At the next second, memories of their past relationship flooded her memory. Back then, she tried her
best to get closer to Kevin, only to get rejected time and time again. Now, things were starting to
change. Even though she was still a bit reserved towards him, she was still a bit happy that there was
some progress. At the very least, it was good for her to see that he sincerely loved his child.
"We should start heading back now. Pack up your things. We'll leave in twenty minutes," Kevin stated
in a low voice, his eyes still on the baby.
When everything was taken care of, they made their way out of the hospital. There at the parking lot, a
sleek, black car waited for them. It exuded luxury, a vehicle that only rich and powerful people like
Kevin could afford.
"Get in."
Like a gentleman, Kevin courteously opened the door for Anne before he went to sit at the driver's seat.
As he drove out into the highway, he made sure to stay well below the speed limit. It wasn't like him to
drive this slowly. At this moment, Anne started feeling a bit uneasy with silence between them.
"So, have you solved the problems of the company?" she asked casually.
"Of course. But company profits fell by two percentage points in the couple of days when the rumor
circulated," Kevin replied, his eyes glued on the road.
Although two percentage points might have sounded small, it was still a considerable amount of
money.
"What do you plan on doing now? Is there any way to make up for the loss?" She was well aware that if
a jewelry company's reputation went sour, it would be difficult to mend. These losses understandably
had the ability to raise some major concerns.
"I took some measures later, and the profits doubled. Everything's been sorted out, thanks so Garret
and Cherry. If it weren't for them, it might have been impossible for our jewelry to be so popular." There
was a smile on his face as he explained all the technicalities with her.
"How did you find out that it was Cherry and Garret who partnered up against you?" Anne asked
carefully.
This issue had been all over the front news. However, after she got into a big fight with Kevin that day,
she didn't really bother herself with it.
"I actually already knew about it from the very beginning," he replied with a shrug.
With her eyes widening, it seemed impossible to believe that he really knew everything that was going
on, especially when it was about his company. 'Huh, I might actually have misunderstood this guy,' she
quietly thought to herself.
"I'm sorry," she said with a frown. "I got a little ahead of myself that day. I should have spoken to you
more calmly."
"Sorry? That's all?" With a sneer, he cast a quick glance at Anne.
"What else do you want me to say? It's not like I brought any substantial losses to you," she retorted
back.
"That's not the point. People who misjudge me and don't trust my actions must pay the price."
Unconsciously, he stepped on the gas a bit harder, his hands tightening on the wheel.
"Can you be more objective? Look, I know it's my fault this time. But don't forget that you've always
thought that I was such a bad person. From what I remember, you also even vowed that you would
never want to be around me!"
Anne quickly countered, leaving Kevin speechless.
That day really made him sad. He was sure that he liked Anne but... What did she take him for
anyway? A playboy? How could he fall in love with Cherry in such a short time?
They spent the rest of the drive home in agonizing silence. It took longer than usual, but eventually they
pulled up at the villa's driveway.
As soon as Anne stepped out of the car, she breathed a sigh of relief. It took so much of her energy to
be around Kevin.
With the baby sleeping in her arms, she went straight inside the house.
Since the baby had just recovered, she wanted to take him up into her bedroom right at once. The child
needed to get as much rest as he could, and there was no way she was going to let him out of her
sight.
After putting the baby inside his crib, she drew the curtains. The dazzling sunshine was instantly cut off,
making the room dim and cozy. Starting to feel the fatigue kick in, she then lay down on the bed to
catch up on some sleep.
Just when she was about to doze off, the door creaked open. With her eyelids fluttering open, she saw
Kevin standing by the door. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be at work by now?"
she asked in a low and quiet voice.
"I don't want to go to work today. I want to stay at home with you," Kevin said matter-of-factly. Hearing
this, she couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
'It's not like him to skip work for no reason.'
At this moment, his eyes swept the room. Seeing this woman sleeping next to his child made it even
more impossible for him to leave the house.
When he went up to check on their room a few days ago, his sadness overwhelmed him. He knew that
Anne and the baby were just at the hospital, but seeing the empty room made him feel so hollow
inside. Not having her by his side was almost unbearable, for there was nothing he loved more than
that woman.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to work? There are still a lot of problems you need to handle. If you
don't take care of it soon, things might get even worse," Anne pressed further with concern.
"You don't want me to stay here?" Kevin countered.
"If you really want to stay, that's fine with me. But you shouldn't be too worried. The baby's doing fine
now."
"Then I'll stay."
For a moment, the two of them didn't say anything. Although he didn't want to walk out of the room, he
didn't know what he was supposed to say next. He cared so much for Anne, and was always scared
that he might suddenly say something wrong again.
"I've taken care of Cherry, by the way. She won't bother us anymore," he finally said, lowering his eyes.
However, from Anne's perspective, it appeared to her that he was still reluctant to let Cherry go.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I get to be with the baby, I don't care what you do," she replied, her voice
almost a whisper.
There was a hint of sadness in her eyes but there was little she could do. If Kevin really didn't like her,
no matter how hard she tried, her love would not be reciprocated. There was one old saying, "If this is
yours, no one can steal from you. If this does not belong to you, you cannot get it by force." And she
understood it now.
All the pain she had felt had made her feel more indifferent towards men. The only love she held on to
right now was her love for her son.
"Are you sure about that?" With his brows furrowed, he tried to see the expression on her face.
However, it was much too dim inside the room.
"Yes," she answered. "As long as you don't bring her back here, you can do whatever you want."
Without another word, Kevin turned around and quickly left the room. Somehow, his actions didn't
make sense to Anne.
"What did I say wrong now?" she asked doubtfully in a meek voice.
But no one was there now to answer her.
Feeling tired, she laid back on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
In the study, the curtains gently blew in the wind, letting in a bit of sunshine inside the darkened room
from time to time.
Kevin sat in his plush office chair as he rubbed his weary eyes with his hands.
It was bothering him that after all this time, Anne had still not warmed up to him.
'Damn it! I care so much about her. Can't she see that?!'
He had never felt this way before towards a woman. Getting rejected by her repeatedly was like a
punch in the gut. This feeling of helplessness was something that was new to him, and it made him feel
so awful.
"Mr. Kevin, are you inside?" the servant's voice timidly called from outside the room.
Usually, the study was cleaned at this time of the day. The servant wasn't so sure if Kevin was still
there or not, but she didn't want to risk barging in on him.
What was more, she saw that his car was still parked outside. Even the servant couldn't help but think
that it was very odd of him not to go to work.
With a grunt, he slammed his fist on desk. "Go away! Do not disturb me!" he shouted through the door.
Leaning back on the chair, he closed his tired eyes and tried his best to get all of his emotions back in
place.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda